Bread of Life Ministries International

Infobox church
color = orange
name = Bread of Life Ministries
fullname = Bread of Life Ministries International


img_size = 150
img_capt = The interior of Crossroad 77, Bread of Life Ministry Center
landscape =
denomination = Evangelical Christian, Pentecostal Calvinist
orientation = Pentecostalism; Non-denominational Christianity
founded_date = November 1982
seniorpastor = Rev. Caesar "Butch" Conde
address = Crossroad 77, Mo. Ignacia, Quezon City, Metro Manila
country = PHI
congregations = more than 50 congregations in the United States, Dubai, Jeddah, Myanmar, Brunei, Australia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, Spain, France, and the Philippines
members = Approx. 25,000
phone =
website = [http://www.breadinternational.org Bread of Life Ministries International] in the United States.

Bread of Life Ministries International has more than 50 congregations with membership of approximately 25,000 all over the Philippines and abroad. Bread of Life Ministries International is the sister church of Myungsung Presbyterian Church in South Korea, the largest Presbyterian church in the world. [cite web|url=http://www.breadoflifeusa.org/portal.php?page=docs&docid=27|title=BOL USA About Us]

History

A group of people met in prayer and was discussing the possibility of building a half-way house for prostitutes. With days in prayer intercession, the group heard God’s call to build a new church. Thus, on November 14, 1982, the very first Sunday service of Bread of Life was held in Maryknoll College (now Miriam College) in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City with a gathering of about 120 people.

It has been twenty-five years and Bread of Life Ministries International is considered one of the most respected and largest Evangelical Bible-believing churches in the Philippines. [ [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/aboutus.html - About Us] ] [ [http://www.apts.edu/ajps/05-2/05-2-WMa.pdf Doing Theology in the Philippines] ] [ [http://pewforum.org/surveys/pentecostal/countries/?CountryID=163 Historical Overview of Pentecostalism in the Philippines] ]

Since the beginning, there were no programs or strategies to reach out to people outside the church. Emphasis was put heavily on the power brought upon by prayer, living consistently with the Bible, and new life in Jesus. The church thrived and later set out to build Crossroad 77, its ministry center, through the sacrifices of the people of all walks of life in the church. The sacrifice is evident even in the lives of its leaders, as the pastors of Bread of Life do not receive any salary from the church, a unique distinctive of the denomination.

The discipleship training program handled by its senior pastor, Rev. Butch Conde, in Bread of Life’s early days would later spring forth people who would later become elders, deacons, workers, pastors and evangelists of the church. The different burdens or needs of the times paved the way for the opening of the various ministries of Bread of Life and the setting up of outreaches in different areas of the country.

On November 25, 2007, Bread of Life Ministries celebrated its 25th Anniversary with the theme "Global Village 25/25" [ [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/flash/ennounce.html] ] emphasizing the role of Filipinos in global missions. The Anniversary service was held twice on that day and was attended by 12,000 people (in each service) from all Bread of Life outreaches around the world. It was held in the Ynares Center, Antipolo City, Rizal. [ [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/flash/iscreen.html] ]

Prayer Activities

Prayer has always been the main thrust of Bread of Life Ministries International in deriving fruits in its ministries. Thus, the church holds several prayer events such as: Dawnwatch, a daily morning prayer intercession held in its Ministry Center in Crossroad 77 from 5:00am to 5:45 am; Mountain Soar, where people belonging to different Christian evangelical denominations gather once a month at the [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/tgpm.html Touch of Glory Prayer Mountain] , its prayer facility located in Antipolo City; Power Station, BOL's 24-hour prayer chain; and Wide Awake, a once-a-month whole-night of prayer intercession and sharing of testimonies also held in Crossroad 77. [ [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/prayer_act1.html - Mountain Soar and Mountain Chillout] ] [ [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/prayer_act2.html - Dawnwatch and Wide Awake] ]

Other Ministries

Considered among the major accomplishments of Bread of Life Ministries International is the establishment of [http://crossroad77.com/tgpm.html Touch of Glory Prayer Mountain] , the first prayer facility in Southeast Asia which is patterned after the prayer mountains of Korea; the [http://www.house-of-refuge.org House of Refuge Foundation] , a half-way house for Manila’s street children; Turning Point Foundation, ministry for drug dependents; Lydia's Helping Hand Mission, ministry towards the indigent in Tondo, Manila; and the [http://themeridianxp-edu.com/Site/Welcome.html Meridian International Learning Experience] , a multi-lingual educational institution aimed to educate students in a multi-disciplinary approach, with its core foundation rooted in the Bible.

Other ministries were founded throughout the 25 years of Bread of Life's existence. The Shire Fellowship is Bread of Life's Central Church's ministry for high school and college students that meets every Saturday evening at Crossroad 77. More Than Medals is a ministry for the athletes specializing in Wushu and Taekwondo. Dreams Department is Bread of Life's ministry for the Young Adults and helms its multimedia presentations. Fellows for Jesus is BOL's ministry for husbands, while Homemakers for Jesus is BOL's ministry for wives. More than C-onquerors and Crosscare are ministries for the people in the medical field. The Yogurt Company is the denomination's ministry for the aged. [ [http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/journey.html - Journey Groups] ]

In the midst of all of these are the complex networks of small groups or journey groups that meet once a week to do Bible study, fellowship and ministry work.

God and Country

Bread of Life is known for its strong emphasis on Filipino Nationalism. The denomination believes that love for God, and sharing the Gospel, are strongly linked to one's love of country. As a person gets saved by grace through Christ, this changed life should not only be contented with the assurance of heaven, but also to leave a lasting legacy, not only for one's own self, not only for Christians everywhere, but for one's country as well. As evangelical churches in the United States, England, China, India and South Korea in their early days became vehicles of Nationalism, so does Bread of Life's belief in the mandate of the Church as salt and light to the nation. Its burden is mainly for the Philippines and its missions work for the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) abroad. As such, Bread of Life's main thrust has always been to intercede in prayer for the Philippines, and to focus on nation-building, its emphasis centered on the next generation.

Though it has always emphasized nationalism, it has continuously refused to be involved in Philippine politics. The BOLMI believes that the answer to the socio-cultural problems of the country cannot be solved by the change of leaders, most especially ministers going into politics, but by the transformation of the heart of each individual. This transformation can only be done by the church. This stand has often been in direct opposition to Jesus is Lord Church's Eddie Villanueva who once ran for Philippine presidency and lost, and the once presidential candidate Jose de Venecia. [ [http://www.breadoflifeusa.org/portal.php?page=docs&docid=46 - Kingdom of a Higher World] ]

ee Also

*Protestants in the Philippines
*Myungsung Presbyterian Church
*Prayer Mountain

References

External links

*http://www.breadinternational.org - Bread of Life Ministries Official Site
*http://www.breadoflifeusa.org - Bread of Life USA
*http://www.projectmosaic.info - Bread of Life Makati
*http://www.crossroad77.com - Crossroad 77: Bread of Life Ministry Center
*http://www.crossroad77.com/tgpm.html - Touch of Glory Prayer Mountain
*http://www.house-of-refuge.org - House of Refuge Foundation
*http://themeridianxp-edu.com/Site/Welcome.html - Meridian International Learning Experience